Irish translation costs have to be kept under review, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern told the Dáil as he pointed out that the preparation of a particular document in English was €683 but the Irish version was just under € 17,000.
"I accept that cost is not always the priority, especially with important documents." However "some documents were widely read but others are not", he said during questions on the Irish language.
Labour leader Pat Rabbitte asked if the requirement that every official document be published in both languages was the best use of public money to stimulate greater use of Irish.
"Apart from the cost for every organisation producing a bilingual report, the amount of hours that go into doing so is considerable. Is that the best use of money or would a similar bequest to TG4 produce a better response from the public?"
Mr Ahern said: "Another factor we must watch closely is the overall cost because if it comes to the point where everything must be translated, the cost could be enormous."
It was good there were outside companies to provide the translation but "they can charge a great deal of money".
Sinn Féin's Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked if the Taoiseach accepted it was important "to reassure the House that cost factor is not always the priority consideration".
Mr Ahern said with some documents, "we should not change things, but for others I must consider if that expenditure can be justified in the longer term". Whether a document was in demand from Irish speakers should be a consideration.
Green Party leader Trevor Sargent expressed concern at the outsourcing of translation from the Houses of the Oireachtas. That would be "grossly inefficient as well as underusing the resources" of the Oireachtas.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said he had received hundreds of letters in Irish following his comments on language standards, and he could "speak the language but I cannot write it competently".
There was no facility for deputies to respond in Irish to letters.
Ceann Comhairle Dr Rory O'Hanlon said he would raise the issue with the language commission.